Jean Gay 16. Kayla McAlvin

Our family has been touched by cancer in so many ways– but it has also found a way to fight back, as well.

Clifford C. Lowery was the grandfather of Reed and Remy Charleston, father-in-law to Rob, and my father and hero. He became a supporter of the Beat Out Cancer Club in 2016 after the death of my mother. When our son Reed was young, he also looked for a way to help funnel his grief and make a difference in the fight against cancer. Reed lost two of his grandparents in less than five months to cancer– his paternal grandfather Alex Charleston, and maternal grandmother Barbara Lowery. He found the Beat Out Cancer Club but it also found us. Our whole family discovered that the club is therapeutic for the grieving people left behind by this destructive disease. Together with his grandfather, Reed jumped on board; excited to do something to help ease the pain of others- a pain he knew all too well. And my dad relished the chance to bond with his grandson and perhaps ease some of the pain he was feeling. This past September, my father started to feel puny and had difficulty breathing. What seemed like forever, but also seemed like mere seconds, turned into a diagnosis of metastatic cancer that took his life in just three weeks. Three weeks is not enough time to make more memories for the grandchildren, and it’s too much time to watch someone suffer. This disease was something my father battled until his last words, which were “I’m sorry I couldn’t beat this.” My dad taught me that one person absolutely DOES make a difference, and to take that first leap of faith towards something that you feel passionate about. For our family, being touched by cancer meant losing three people in five years, and that tremendous loss propelled us into doing something to help stop this disease. My father loved helping others and he loved everything about the CHS Beat Out Cancer Club, from the Georgia has Talent Show, to selling hot chocolate at the Downtown Canton events. He especially loved the fundraising nights; going to Panda Express (his fave) and other places that donate a portion of their sales back to BOC. He was spellbound by the sense of community we have here in Canton. Together we can all move mountains to help fund cancer research. It won’t bring my parents back, but I can feel their presence and it’s like I am working alongside both of them. Please take a moment to consider how you can help make an impact on cancer research. It may be through volunteering, eating out on a fundraiser night, participating in the activities, or even donating or buying something in the silent auction. Anything is an impact! You can make a difference; you really can. On behalf of my father, thank you to the CHS Beat Out Cancer Club, from the bottom of our hearts. Jay Huller and the students in this club don’t even realize the full impact they are making here in Canton and the surrounding community… and that my friends, is the undeniable beauty inside their hearts. Kind Regards,

*My awesome wife, Katy Huller, and my amazing children Kate and Anna for helping me through this show and being so understanding about the time it takes to make this show take place. Thanks, honey, for always helping me improve the

show and for lending your creative eye and for spending all those hours helping me!

*My Dad for always supporting the show and helping me let mom’s legacy live on each year. *President Bella for being willing to do any task to keep the momentum of the show going and for always wanting to help where possible! *Haley R. for going above and beyond and showing what true dedication to a cause is all about. *Ansley for working with Haley to create awesome promo videos and for being willing to lend a hand anywhere. *Branden Blackwell for always being there with piano support. *Audrey R. for always being willing to help with filming. *Pablo Hurtado for continuing his amazing support of our efforts and for starting an award legacy! *CJ for pouring his heart into this show year after year, always thinking of ways to make it better! *Autry for creating an AWESOME video experience for the performers and those watching from home. You rock! *Bryan and the entire B-SHOC organization for its support and premier stage production experience. *The ENTIRE Charleston family for always jumping in with both feet when something needed to get done. Special thanks for the generous donation on behalf of Clifford. *All the performers, their families, and their fans for GIVING BIG! You are all an amazing group of people with whom I’m humbled to work. Thanks for tolerating all the text messages and getting information back in a timely manner! *Denise Manning for ALWAYS supporting the show, rain or shine! *Tamara Elder for handling all the deposits, money questions, and other items relating to our fundraising. *Carey from Just a Fan Photography for being willing to document our show, and to do it so professionally. *Jared at PRS Guitars for following through on our lost application and facilitating such an amazing sponsorship! *Trina Hutchison for giving so generously year after year. *Our amazing business sponsors. You give when you don’t have to; it means so much! *Kevin at Uncle Maddio’s -- we love partnering with your each year. You bring us generosity and give us a stage to showcase some of our talent. Thanks so much for your support each year! *Nicole May with Tropical Smoothie Cafe. You are so generous and such an asset for what we do each year! *Zack Stanton with Ken Stanton Music – Zack is ALWAYS in our corner and has been a sponsor since the beginning – just an amazing human. *Nick Whyte for being the FASTEST to volunteer for just about any task and for being so persistent in getting those sponsorships! *Aaron at EarTec for giving us piece of mind from a production standpoint with amazing support and sponsorship from EarTec. *J. Santiago Nuñez for the “Live in Buckhead” Marea Alta jazz cds. *Makenzie for all your hard work with the jewelry! *Caidyn for cutting out all the ID badges over her VACATION! *Anyone not mentioned here who helped us BEAT OUT CANCER this year! *The Dana Farber Cancer Institute for its continued support of our mission and for trying to end cancer for good.

The 2021-2022 Beat Out Cancer Club

Makenzie Bird Jorge Beltran Hannah Cantrell Tess Cantrell Remy Charleston Owen Garity Angela Gonzaga Jax Gonzaga Ansley Gulledge Sammi Lindstrom Megan McBride Caidyn McCoy Haley Roberson Cristina Scoretz Nick Whyte Ally Whyte

President: Bella Stewart

**These volunteers stood out consistently ALL YEAR LONG by volunteering and fulfilling the requirements of the club. They are true warriors against cancer.

The Beat Our Cancer Club volunteers work tirelessly throughout the year to raise money for cancer research. In the winter, several of them sell hot chocolate and the majority of them collect auction donations, Then, on a Saturday night in about 3 hours, it’s all over! The students on this page spent hours in meetings and hours out in the community talking about what we do. The list you see above was not created lightly. Only those who regularly make meetings and contribute to the improvement of the club are given membership status. I am blessed to have such a caring group of young adults working with me to bring this dream alive each year. These kids have huge hearts and really embrace the volunteer spirit. ---Jay Huller